Radiator core for tractor vehicles



Sept. 1, 1959 F. A. SCHICK ETAL 2,902,264

RADIATOR CORE FOR TRACTOR VEHICLES Filed Oct. 24, 1957 QUQM United States Patent RADIATOR CORE FOR TRACTOR VEHICLES Frederick A. Schick and Douglas W. Erskine, Springfield,

Ill., assignors to Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application October 24, 1957, Serial No. 692,094

1 Claim. (Cl. 257130) This invention relates to a radiator core of the type to be installed in tractor type vehicles and is more particularly concerned with a protective means for guarding the tubing of such a radiator core.

Under certain conditions in which tractor type vehicles are required to work, the air which is circulated through the radiator core carries a considerable amount of abrasive material. The passing of the air stream containing this abrasive material over the tubes of the radiator core has a particularly damaging effect on the outside row of core tubes on the air receiving side of the core. This continuous sandblasting rapidly wears away the metal of the leading edge of the tubes causing the radiator to leak. In an installation equipped with a pusher type fan an additional difiiculty is created because some of the larger particles of abrasive material, which are drawn into the .air stream, strike the fan blading and are propelled at .an extremely high velocity against the outside row of core .tubes causing serious damage to the tubes, particularly to those already worn thin by sandblasting.

This problem is quite common in an application of a tractor vehicle equipped with a front end shovel loader attachment. During excavating and loading as the shovel is raised above the tractor, some of the material being excavated often spills out and is drawn into the air stream by the fan.

Heretofore several parts of protective screens for the radiator core have been suggested in order to sift out the abrasive particles. Such screens, however, which are of small enough mesh to prevent entry into the air stream of abrasive particles are so fine that they obstruct the normal flow of air to the radiator and hence reduce the cooling efficiency to a considerable extent. On the other hand screens which are of a large enough mesh to permit normal air flow through the core are not effective to sift out the coarser particles which are propelled by the fan lblading against the outside row of tubes.

It is, therefore, an objective of the present invention to provide an improved radiator core which will take care of the deficiencies and difficulties hereinbefore described in an entirely satisfactory manner.

It is a more specific objective of the present invention to provide a protective means for the radiator core tubes on the air receiving side of the radiator core.

It is a further objective of this invention to provide a protective means for each of the radiator core tubes on the air receiving side of the core which is adapted to be used in combination with production type radiator cores.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a casing to be attached onto each of the tubes in the outside row on the air receiving side of the radiator core.

These and other objective and advantages of the present invention Will become apparent when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows the side view of the front portion of a crawler tractor of the type mounting a front end shovel ice loader attachment, a portion of the radiator guard being cut away to show a partial section through the radiator core and show the engine driven radiator fan;

Fig. 2 shows the top view of the radiator core of Fig. 1 having a portion cut away showing in section the core tubes including the outside row of tubes on the air receiving side of the radiator;

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged top sectional view of two tubes with protective means attached which are of the first row of tubes on the air receiving side of the radiator shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 shows an isometric projection of a section of the radiator core of Fig. 2 having one of the protective means disassembled from the core.

Referring to Fig. 1, for purposes of illustrating the invention a crawler tractor, which is indicated generally by the reference character 6, has been selected which is of the conventional type. The crawler tractor 6 has an engine, indicated generally by reference character 7, mounted on the forward portion of the main frame 8 (partially shown). An engine driven pusher type fan 9 which includes blading 10 is also of the conventional type and is mounted on the engine 7. It is to be understood that the term pusher type fan as used herein is intended to describe that type of fan which is located next adjacent the air receiving side of the radiator core and pushes air through the core. It is not intended, however, to limit the invention to the type of fan installation. A radiator core 11 is fixedly mounted on main frame 8 by suitable means forwardly of and adjacent to the fan 9, and a radiator guard 12 is mounted on the forward portion of the main frame 8 in protective relationship to the radiator core 11 and engine 7. A conventional type front end shovel attachment indicated generally by the reference character 13 is pivotally mounted on the crawler tractor in a conventional manner. The shovel attachment 13 includes a bucket 14 which is pivotally mounted upon arms indicated generally by reference character 16; and the arms 16 are pivotally mounted on tractor 6 in the conventional manner, the latter connection not being shown. The position of the shovel loader 13, as shown, is the elevated position during a loading operation. The position of the shovel loader 13 illustrates a condition wherein some of the material 17 being conveyed by the bucket 14 is apt to spill and be drawn into the air stream of the fan.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the radiator core 11 is of the type having a plurality of horizontally disposed, relatively spaced fins 18, each being provided with a series of spaced transverse openings or apertures 19 which are in alignment with openings 19 in adjacent fins and are especially adapted to receive a series of vertically disposed fluid conducting core tubes 21 which extend transversely of the fins 13. An upper manifold 22 and a lower manifold 23 are interconnected in fluid communication by the series of core tubes 21. The upper manifold 22 has an inlet conduit means 24 connected to the pressure side of a conventional type water pump (not shown), and the lower manifold 23 has an outlet conduit means 24 connected to the suction side of the water pump.

Referring to Fig. 2, each of the core tubes 21 located in the outside row. on the air receiving side of the radiator core 11 has attached thereto a protective means. Arrow A indicates the direction of air flow through the radiator core 11. The side of the core 11 adjacent the arrow A is identical to the side of the core adjacent the fan 9 (in Fig. 1) and is referred to herein as the air receiving side.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the protective means comprise an elongated casing 27, portions of which are best shown in Fig. 4, which has a U-shaped transverse cross'section'. Casing 27 includes a pair of laterally spaced sideportions 28, 29 which are integrally conwhibh 'are' specially adapted'tofit' about the fins of theradiator core." Thecas'iirg '27 in the installed condition extends'longitudinally of and-in overlapping-relation to---"a core"tube-*o f'-the outside roW of tubes and thus for msa protective shield about'the'leading edge of the tube. The side portions 28, 29 can be fixedly connected onthsids of thetiibes'as by soldering. A well known method 'of Y producing a radiator core includes assembling the'tub'es and fins' with solder material being applied in the areas where the tubes contact the fins and subseque'rit'l'y; as by induction heating, melting the solder. Capillary lattraction eauses the fiuid solder to flow about the tubes where they are contacted by the fins; and thus when coo'led the tubes will'become intimately bonded to the fins 18 'inthe area of the apertures 19. In the prir art processe's tor producing radiator cores, it will be readily seen that the casings 27 "are adapted to be assembled on the'outside row of core tubes 21 prior to the conventional soldering step so that the casings will'- be fixedlysol'd'ered on the core 11. The solder thereby providesa-means for fixedly interconnecting the tubes-and fins as well as the side portions 28, 29 of the casing and the corresponding sides of each tube. It is to be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the inventio'n'to soldering, since other suitable means could be used to connect'the casings on the radiator core.

It will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description that a novel protective means has been illustrated for protecting the first row of tubes on the air receiving side of the radiator core from excessive sandblasting and 'from damage due to impact of particles of foreign matter which are propelled at a high velocity by the fan blading. It will also be apparent that the protective means which have been described are readily adaptable-to be integrated into conventional type radiator cores.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, this is not intended to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than is necessitated by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A radiator core adapted for use in'a tractor "vehicle of the type having-a pusher type fan, the combination comprising: an upper and lower manifold; a series of relatively spaced tubes interconnecting said manifolds, said tubes having an oblong cross section with the elongated sides thereof disposed parallel to the path of air :flow; a plurality of relatively spaced finsextending transversely of said tubes; a protective means for each tube on the air receiving side of said core adjacent said fan, said means including an elongated casing having a generally U-shaped'crosssection, said'casing having side portions extending aroundtheleading' edge of said tube ad jacent said fan in overlapping abutting'engagement with elongated side portions "of said tube, the 'side portions of the casing having transverseopenings extending from their trailin'g edges tofit about said-fins, said casing also" having an end portiori'extending longitudinally of said tube and projecting outwardly of said fins and said leading edge to form a protective shield about said leading edge and-the-portiori of-thetube side portions adjacent said edge; and bonding -means for mutually securing said tubes, fins'and protective means.

ReferencesCited in the' file of this patent UNITED 'STATES PATENTS 2,646,818 Bimpson July 28, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 590,806 Great Britain July 29, 1947 

